RADIO
A New Home in Toronto Could Help Saunders Reach Potential
When we put together our rankings earlier this winter, I had Michael Saunders lower than every other outfielder on my list except one. I may have forgotten that he was traded to the Blue Jays, a move which should provide a bump to his production. And the more I consider Saunders, the more I feel like I shortchanged him.
Saunders posted a .273/.341/.450 line with eight homers and four steals last year in 78 games. Not particularly exciting, but useful in deep leagues. He's two years removed from a 19 HR/21 SB season and, at 28, is still theoretically in his prime. But for a variety of reasons, he's not especially well-regarded by most fantasy owners.
Saunders has seemingly missed the boat on being the star some thought he could be when he was a prospect. He's shown flashes, occasionally ripping off streaks of utter dominance, but those are almost invariably followed by periods where he barely seems like a Major League player. He's had enough trouble staying healthy that the Mariners questioned his conditioning and work ethic, which basically led to his departure. That's a recipe for a frustrating player, and it's one we've all seen and been victimized by many times before.
What's easy to miss, though, is that Saunders' peripherals suggest a much more linear and consistent progression. Despite missing time with both shoulder and knee problems last year, he posted career best marks in line drive, contact, and swinging strike rates. He had fewer pop ups and more infield hits. Pretty much any metric you can pick out has held steady or improved over the last couple of seasons.
So even if Saunders had remained in Seattle, there would have been a case for him as a breakout candidate. Moving to Toronto means he'll hit in both a better lineup and a friendlier ballpark. Having a clear grip on the starting job also doesn't hurt. He's not likely to become a household name, but Saunders could easily manage a 20/20 season with a decent batting average and respectable R/RBI totals. You could do a lot worse in the late rounds or dollar days than rolling the dice on a healthy season from him this year.
In Summary
Saunders is certainly not without his warts, but with his ADP in the mid-300's, his potential makes him a player worth keeping an eye on as your draft draws to a close. I should have given him more love in our early rankings, but I'll have a chance to rectify that. Keep an eye out for multiple updates to the RotoBaler rankigns throughout the preseason the season.
